The present invention relates generally to a cushion hair brush. More particularly, the invention relates to a brush or comb having a cushion supported on a handle, in which the cushion is configured and supported to permit flexure during use such as to direct bristles supported on the cushion toward the user along parallel lines.
A great variety of hair grooming devices, such as combs and brushes have been proposed and are currently available. Conventional brushes typically include a head supporting an array of bristles extending from one face of the head, or partially or completely around the head. In recent years it has become very common to support the bristles on a flexible membrane or cushion that is convex in shape and is supported about its periphery by the brush head structure. To facilitate manufacturing, such bristle supports are sometimes configured as a separate, fairly rigid element that can be snapped or otherwise secured to the brush head during an assembly step.
The convexity of known brush cushions generally results in arrangement of the brush bristles in a similar convex pattern when the brush is not in use. Because the cushion membrane is fairly resilient, the membrane flexes as the bristles are brought into contact with the hair, thereby directing certain of the bristles toward the user. However, because known cushion brushes typically employ bristle support membranes of generally uniform thickness, the brush bristles become oriented or directed toward the point of contact with the hair, tending to concentrate the bristle tips in a small region around the point of contact. Moreover, membranes of many known cushion brushes require the brush to be pressed rather forcefully at the point of contact before deformation of the cushion actually takes place. Consequently, when less than the required deformation force is exerted by the user, the majority of the bristles remain in their convex arrangement, greatly reducing the number of bristles in contact with the hair and limiting the actual usefulness of the brush. Moreover, the convex shape of the bristle support membrane in conventional cushion brushes creates a structure which mechanically resists deflection, tending to further increase the force required for deflection of the bristles. Finally, because the membrane of conventional cushion brushes is typically tightly supported on the brush head, the membrane tends to undergo generally S-shaped deflection in the manner of a fixed-end beam, rather than even, uniform deflection.
There is a need, therefore, for an improved cushion-type brush that provides the desired degree and direction of flexure of the bristle support membrane to place more bristles in contact with the user's hair during use. In particular, there is a need for a cushion-type brush that orients the bristles towards the user's hair along parallel lines during flexure of the support membrane, rather than concentrating all bristles towards a point of contact as in known cushion brushes.